This invention relates to a valve assembly with an internal fluid distribution system and more particularly to a dump valve useful in a drip-type coffee or other beverage maker which contains an integral water dispersing and spreading system upon dumping of fluid into a brewing chamber or the like.
In order to obtain uniformly good coffee, the hot water must be distributed over all of the coffee grounds and not just at a center dump point of a valve. This necessitates the use of a dispersing system to spread the water coming out of the valve onto the coffee grounds. The dispersing requirement involves the use of an external distribution system in the design of a coffee maker and the associated cost, manufacturing problems and reliability factors.
Among the several objects of this invention is to provide a valve assembly which contains an integral water dispersing and spreading system to permit a relatively high rate of flow of liquid therethrough. Another object of this invention is to provide a valve which may readily be installed as a unit in an appliance such as a drip-type coffee maker. Still another object of this invention is to provide a valve of sanitary construction for use with food, potable liquids, and the like. Yet another object of this invention is to provide a valve which may be readily manufactured at a low cost and which is reliable in operation. Other objects and features of this invention will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.
Briefly, the valve assembly of this invention comprises a housing having a passage extending therethrough with an inlet and an outlet therein and a valve seat between the inlet and the outlet. A snap-acting, dish-shaped bimetallic disk preferrably constitutes the valve member and snaps back from a closed valve position to an open valve position and back again in response to temperature changes of the disk. A spring member biases the bimetallic disk toward the closed valve position to insure proper sealing and an abutment in the housing engageable by the center portion of the disk as the disk moves to the open valve position insures the disk is clear of the O-ring to permit the flow of liquid therethrough. In the housing at the outlet of the passage and in communication therewith a plurality of outwardly curved channels are formed to provide flow paths for the fluid out of the valve. A dispersing disk is centrally mounted to block the fluid coming from the outlet of the passage and cause it to exit through the outwardly curved channels.